


the color of honor

by robinsegg



Category: Dimension 20 (Web Series)
Genre: A short scene between Liam and Theo, Because they are the ONLY knights among a party of boy kings, Extrapolating based off a one-off line, Gen, Missing Scene, two repressed losers at wildly different positions in life trying to live
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-05
Updated: 2020-05-05
Packaged: 2021-03-03 01:14:19
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,236
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24026434
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/robinsegg/pseuds/robinsegg
Summary: Liam's first day as a knight— all the ways living honorably hurts.
Relationships: Theobald Gumbar & Liam Wilhelmina Jawbreaker
Comments: 7
Kudos: 40





	the color of honor

**Author's Note:**

> All the explanation I can give is that I love Theo and Liam so much and Theo is so in love with Amethar and that's FINE and Liam is so honorable and they are both autistic in my head. Anyway. I wanted to get this out before tomorrow's episode dashed this to shreds which I am okay with, the mere concept was good enough for me.

"He wanted to be the best knight in the world, so that Arthur would love him in return, and he wanted one other thing which was still possible in those days. He wanted, through his purity and excellence, to be able to perform some ordinary miracle—to heal a blind man or something like that, for instance."- _The Once and Future King_

Theo’s bravado manifests itself in stoicism.

Lord Cruller asks, “Isn’t there an almost three day vigil to become a knight?” And Theo is not a smart man. He is not a strategist. That wasn’t what he was built for-- that wasn’t what he built himself to be. Theo was made to stand vigil over the magician, the queen made for things so much bigger than the ground she was put into. Theo thinks, maybe, that he stayed alive because he wasn’t done yet. Because he needed to take an arrow to the chest for another ruler of the House of Rocks. It’s a duty he takes joyfully.

Theo stands tall. He does not posture. He does not try to be anything more than what he is-- Lord Commander of the Knights of North Gumbia, sworn protector of the king, a protector shuffled from a monument of a would-be queen to a monument of an almost-murdered king. There is so much he can’t do, so much he wants to do. Theo wants to be good and perform miracles and help those he pledged to help. He can’t do everything. He couldn’t save Lazuli. But. Theo can save other people. He bends the rules and doesn’t let it show how afraid he is.  
——————-

Sir Theobald and Sir Liam Wilhemina, a newly minted knight of the lowest order of Candia, begin training two days after Primogen Alfredi’s arrest. The first day is spent in quiet, heavily guarded rooms, Calroy Cruller and Chancellor Lapin in turn explaining the dangers Liam has put himself in in service of the king.

At one point Chancellor Lapin says, almost to himself, “It’s rather funny how your family urged you to kill the king and now you’ve found yourself in danger of condemnation by the Pontifex herself for saving him.” He lets out a small chuckle and sighs. “Funny how things work out, isn’t it?” 

Liam’s horrified look is followed by Cruller quickly saying, “I think that’s quite enough, Chancellor.” Lapin says something about irony and idiots and Sir Theobald huffs but doesn’t say anything. Liam fidgets, scratching at his neck slowly. They do not talk to the king in this time. It makes Liam nervous, for however many assurances Cruller and Theo give him that Amethar will protect him (Lapin, of course, says nothing).

As Theobald teaches him how to move in his armor (light, a duller shade of gold than Theo’s, ill-fitting) Liam asks, not looking at him, “What are we going to do about my family?” They’d been mostly silent, Liam’s chattering quieted by everything he was unsure of, Theobald having shifted into Lord Commander of the Knights of North Gumbia mode. “Theo, you know that my family is at odds with the king. They won’t— they won’t take kindly to this.”

Theobald adjusted his form, slowly showing Liam where to shift his weight to. “I’d rather you alive with your family angry, than dead with your family grieving. Right now we’re still worried about the ‘keeping you alive,’ part. I’m not saying this to scare you. I just- I think you should know that my- and the good king’s- intentions are focused on your survival and safety. But,” and at this point Theo paused from training Liam, watching as he began to fidget. Preston took the opportunity to run around Liam’s legs. “If it would be something you like, I could- help you write a letter of sorts to them. Explain the situation without landing us all in hot water.” He nodded slowly, and Theo smiled.

It was only basic training, enough to make him seem well enough in line with the Tart Guard at best-- the ability to move and fight in his armor smoothly, being able to wear it like a second skin, because it basically was. Liam felt the armor chafing against his clothes, and thought about how he’d have to wear this for the foreseeable future. Armor because it showed off a status Liam didn’t have, even as a lord of Candia. It protected him in ways he himself couldn’t, not physically but from prying eyes and high society attacks, and so his discomfort didn’t matter. His old life didn’t matter, all the notches he’d made of a life that wasn’t- good, but was real. No more running off into the woods for seeds, because someone could ask questions, and no more magic, because that would get him killed. Liam had to become a different person to survive now.

Eventually Liam says, hesitantly, “Thank you. I know you really respect the- the position of knights and all the oath stuff and pledging your allegiance and stuff to King Amether and. You doing this is kind of-- backing out on a lot of that? Because I’m from a rebel house and my family wants the king dead and all but I don’t and--” Liam rubbed Preston’s head repetitively, taking a breath. “Thank you. You’re all being really _nice_ and I just want you guys to know I appreciate it a lot and stuff because you don’t have to be.”

And Theo- Theo has never considered family outside of the House of Rocks. A ward of Lazuli, the Rocks had been all he ever cared for, really cared for, because they fed him and clothed him and kept him safe and taught him how to keep other people safe. He just wanted to keep people safe. He’s seen comrades with wives and children, known they cared for their families more than they could knighthood or the king, and he-- didn’t understand, really, but he didn’t fault them for it. Duty and honor was all he had. Theo had always known, out of some deep place inside himself, that’d never be him. Theobald was the castle’s lifelong bachelor, and he found himself comfortable in that. No one could ever come first to the King and his family.

But-- sometimes he wanted. He loved children, and he was good with them. He knew that, from all the times Jet and Ruby climbed all over him when they were small or the wailing babies of his fellow knights quieted in his arms. He didn’t think he was so bad with teenagers, even strange ones like Liam. It made Theo sad sometimes to think he’d never have children of his own. But, of course, that required a wife. Which Theo didn’t have. And would never have.

He let out a slow breath. “You saved the good King from what could’ve been murder. Not me, not any of our fellow knights and soldiers. For all that other knights might have done a vigil, they have never risked their lives for the king like you did. You’re family, Liam, and that counts for a lot. You were very lucky to grow up in a world that isn’t at war. It was a cruel place, and all we can do is-- protect our own. That’s my job.

“Now,” Theo cleared his throat. “Back to work. We’ll have you acting a ‘war guy’ yet.”

**Author's Note:**

> As always, you can find me at @repressionattic on tumblr.


End file.
